


Act My Age

by HoransPayne



Series: NiamNetwork Themes [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8143394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoransPayne/pseuds/HoransPayne
Summary: I'll still feel the same around you.





	

Liam lifted the duvet carefully as he slid himself into the bed, trying his hardest to be gentle. As he laid his head onto his pillow, Niall immediately rolled onto him, wrapping his arm tightly around his waist. Liam smiled fondly, noticing that Niall did this without even waking up, and wrapped his own arm around Niall, to tighten their embrace. He stroked his hand through Niall’s soft hair, mussed up from sleep. As he looked at his sleeping husband, he really couldn’t wipe the ever-growing grin off his face as he thought back to all the times they’d shared together.

***

Niall’s laugh echoed off the walls of the flat, seemingly louder due to the lack of furniture around. As Liam struggled into the room with a heavy cardboard box in his arms he couldn’t help but smile as well. He placed the box onto the floor beside him, just as his boyfriend slid into his arms. Liam playfully rolled his eyes as he saw Niall’s socked feet, realising that, instead of unpacking the boxes Liam was carrying upstairs, he was sliding around the bare wooden floors like a child. 

“I’m here working my arse off, and this is how you repay me?” Liam jokingly objected. Niall’s grin only grew wider; Liam had never realised someone could smile so big until he met Niall. 

“Li, the floors have just been waxed! You can slide so easily on them!” His excitability reminded Liam of that of a small child or a puppy, and, as he ruffled Niall’s hair, he laughed as he thought Niall was just as cute. “Race me?” Of course Liam couldn’t say no to the look on Niall’s face, and he gave out an exaggerated sigh as he bent down to remove his shoes.

“The things I do for you, Nialler.”

***

“I’m freezing Liam!”

“Put some more clothes on then!”

“Just let me turn the heat up!”

“No!”

Of course, this argument was a regular occurrence in their flat. Niall got cold easily, and Liam was a cheapskate.

“You wouldn’t even care if I froze to death, would you?” Niall pouted.

‘Oh god, not the pout!’ Liam knew he always crumbled under that look, he was a weak man. 

“Come here, of course I would.” He pulled Niall into his arms and squeezed him tight.

“So you’ll turn the heat up then?” Niall looked up at Liam with hope in his eyes.

“No.” Liam scoffed. “But I can warm you up.” He squeezed with his arms again as the two retreated to their bed, where Liam gave Niall his hoodie, and cuddled with him until he stop complaining about being cold.

Liam would never tell Niall this, but sometimes he’d turn the heat down on purpose, just for an excuse to cuddle the other man.

***

“Wow!” Niall laid his head on Liam’s shoulder, and Liam wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I can’t believe it.”

“I know. Our daughter’s married!” Liam smiled, as he watched his baby girl dancing with her new spouse. “I feel so old.” Niall looked up at his husband with this comment, and Liam recognised the playful look that they shone with.

“Well, I don’t!” He suddenly rose to his feet and strode over to the dance floor. He began shaking his body with little rhythm or grace, his teeth glowing as he smiled over at Liam. He wiggled his eyebrows at him, beckoning him over. Liam sighed as he rose his feet, knowing Niall wouldn’t back down until he joined him. Liam saw his daughter hiding her red face in shame as she saw her two dads dancing the way they were. As Niall spotted this, he only laughed louder, and moved in more extravagant motions that Liam couldn’t seem to keep up with.

“I’ll always feel young around you.” Niall whispered into his ear later that evening.

***

“I’ll never forget your granddad’s face as the cat jumped out the wardrobe at him.” Liam put his head in his hands in shame as he heard the giggles of his grandkids. They were sat on the floor in front of Niall, who was sat on the edge of his seat, waving his arms around and shouting in what was his impression of Liam’s reaction.

Niall had told this story a hundred times, but Liam was in awe of the fact it seemed just as entertaining as if it were the first. 

Liam noticed his youngest granddaughter smiling over at him, a grin just as big as Niall’s. Liam gave her a wink as she giggled; pulling a face similar to the mock horror Niall was wearing pretending to be Liam. Liam shook his head, laughing loudly. 

Of course, even if Niall hadn’t told this story multiple times over, it was one Liam wouldn’t forget. How could he forget the time Niall decided to rescue a cat he found on the street? He never thought that perhaps their dog may not get on well with it, so the cat had retreated into the wardrobe before Liam had gotten home. The cat was pretty riled up by the time Liam pulled the wardrobe open, and it jumped onto him, giving him quite the scare. Niall, obviously, never let him live this down.

“Come on, Dad. You’ve told the kids this story millions of times already.” Their daughter, perhaps, was not as entertained as her children by the tale.

“Oh, I have?” Niall gave her a look of surprise. Liam sometimes forgot how old they were getting until moments like these. Niall made him feel much younger than he really was.

***

“You’re back!” Niall snuggled his head into Liam’s chest further, taking in his scent as if he’d hadn’t seen him for years, instead of a few hours. “I forgot you’d be out until late, so I was waiting for you all day.”

“Sorry, Nialler.” Liam kissed Niall’s head, topped with thinned, white hair. “I’ll leave a note next time, love.” Niall’s short term memory had been fading for years, so Liam was constantly leaving him little notes to remind him of little things. Niall sighed, as if Liam’s comment was a reminder of this. “We’re not quite as young as we used to be, huh?” Niall shrugged, and met Liam’s eyes.

“I don’t really mind. I’ll still feel the same around you as I have since the day we met.” Liam grinned.

“It’s been a pleasure to grow old with you Niall.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for theme 4 for the NiamNetwork: our favourite Niam song. Mine is Act My Age, because it's the first song I saw them dancing to together, and it just reminds me of Niall so much. It's also inspired a bit by Grow Old With Me by Tom Odell, because both songs are basically about growing old together.   
> Anyway, thanks a lot for reading, I hoped you enjoyed! Make sure you check out the NiamNetwork on Tumblr :D


End file.
